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Overall Changes from USMT 3.0

Hard-link migration store

The new hard-link migration store is for use in computer-refresh scenarios only. Hard-link migration stores are stored locally on the computer that is being refreshed and can migrate user accounts, files and settings in less time using megabytes of disk space instead of gigabytes.

Improved Space estimation

The ScanState command now more accurately estimates the size of the migration store as well as the additional temporary disk space required to create the migration store. This results in a reduction of migration failures due to low disk space. The ScanState command now also estimates the size of the compressed migration store.

Ability to gather data from an offline Windows® operating system using the ScanState command

You can gather data from an offline Windows® operating system using the ScanState command in Microsoft® Windows PE. In addition, USMT now supports migrations from previous installations of Windows® contained in Windows.old directories. The offline directory can be a Windows directory when you run the ScanState command in Windows PE or to Windows.old when you run the ScanState command in Windows.

Domain controller access is no longer required by ScanState and LoadState.
It is now possible to complete an end-to-end migration of domain user accounts without having domain controller access. The destination computer must be domain-joined before any newly applied domain accounts can be used.

You can reduce end-user and deployment time. You can use USMT 4.0 to retain end-users’ digital identities as well as application and operating system settings, in conjunction with SCCM and/or MDT.

Configurable file errors

You can use the new <ErrorControl> section in the Config.xml file to configure which file or registry read/write errors can be safely ignored by the /c command-line option and which might cause the migration to fail. In addition, the /genconfig command-line option now generates a sample <ErrorControl> section that is enabled by specifying error messages and desired behaviors in the Config.xml file.

New helper functions

The ScanState command has two new helper functions that enable new migration scenarios. The MigXmlHelper.FileProperties function can be used to control which files migrate, based on properties you specify; for example, date created, date modified, date accessed, and file size. The MigXmlHelper.GenerateDocPatterns function can be used to automatically find user documents on a computer without authoring extensive custom migration .xml files.

Volume shadow copy support

With the /vsc command line option, the ScanState command can now use the volume shadow copy service to capture files that are locked for editing by other applications.

Local group migration

You can use the new <ProfileControl> section in the Config.xml file to configure the local group membership of users during the migration. This enables scenarios such as changing users from being members of the local administrators group to being members of the local users group during the migration.

List files being migrated

You can use the /listfiles command-line option for the ScanState command to generate a text file list of all files included in the migration.

Usmtutils.exe

This new executable file supplements the functionality in Scanstate.exe and Loadstate.exe.

New AES encryption options

USMT 4.0 enables support for stronger encryption algorithms, called Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), in several key size options, based on support in the source computers' operating system.

Changes to the ScanState Command

New Command-line Options

The following table lists new command-line options for the ScanState command.

Option

Explanation

/listfiles:"path to a file"

Generates a text file listing all the files included in the migration.

/p:"path to a file"

When an optional file location is specified, the /p option indicates that the new space-estimate algorithms are used. If you do not specify the optional file location, the /p option's functionality is the same as in USMT 3.0. These include an estimation of the disk space that is needed to create and build the migration store, as well as the space needed to host the migration-store contents. These estimates are provided in an .xml file at the location specified on the command line.

If the /nocompress option is also specified, the estimate will be for an uncompressed migration store. If the /nocompress option is not specified, the estimate will be for a compressed migration store.

/hardlink

Enables the creation of a hard-link migration store at the specified location. The /nocompress option must be specified with the /hardlink option. Additionally, the <HardLinkStoreControl> element can be used in the Config.xml file to change how the ScanState command creates hard-links to files that are locked by another application.

/vsc

This option enables the volume shadow copy service to migrate files that are locked or in use by another application.

This option can be used only with the ScanState executable file and cannot be combined with the /hardlink option.

/auto:"path to script files"

This option enables you to specify the location of the default .xml files and then launch your migration. If no path is specified, USMT will reference the directory where the USMT binaries are located. The /auto option includes the following options /i:MigDocs.xml /i:MigApp.xml /v:13.

/offline:"path to an offline.xml file"

This option is used to define a path to an offline .xml file that specifies offline migration options; for example, an offline Windows directory to capture user state from, as well as remapping on drive letters and mount points.

/genmigxml:"path to a file"

This option specifies that the ScanState command should use the document finder to create and export an .xml file that defines how to migrate all of the files found on the computer on which the ScanState command is running. The document finder, or MigXmlHelper.GenerateDocPatterns helper function, can be used to automatically find user documents on a computer without authoring extensive custom migration .xml files.

/offlinewindir:"path to a windows directory"

This option specifies the offline Windows directory that the ScanState command gathers user state from. The offline directory can be Windows.old when you run the ScanState command in Windows or a Windows directory when you run the ScanState command in Windows PE. This option is incompatible with the /offline option.

/offlinewinold<Windows.old directory>

This command-line option enables the offline migration mode and starts the migration from the location specified. It is only intended to be used in Windows.old migration scenarios, where the migration is occurring from a Windows.old directory.

/efs:hardlink

Creates a hard-link to the EFS file instead of copying it. Use only with the /hardlink and /nocompress options.

Changed Command-line Options

The following ScanState command-line options have changed in USMT 4.0.

Option in USMT 3.0

Explanation for change in USMT 4.0

/p

The /p option estimates the space needed to contain the compressed or uncompressed migration store. When an optional file location is specified, the /p:"path to a file" command-line option uses the new space-estimation algorithms.

/encrypt:"encryption strength"

You can specify a parameter to define the desired encryption strength for the migration store.

/genconfig

The /genconfig option now generates sample <ErrorControl> and <ProfileControl> sections in the Config.xml file that enable the new error control and local group migration behavior.

/o

The /o option is now is required to overwrite both the migration store and the Config.xml file.

New Command-line Options

Enables user state data to be restored from a hard-link migration store. The /nocompress option must be specified with the /hardlink option.

/auto:"path to script files"

This option enables you to specify the location of the default .xml files and then launch your migration. If no path is specified, USMT will reference the directory where the USMT binaries are located. The /auto option include the following options /i:MigDocs.xml /i:MigApp.xml /v:13.

Changed Command-line Options

The following LoadState command-line options have changed in USMT 4.0.

Option in USMT 3.0

Explanation for change in USMT 4.0

/decrypt:"encryption strength"

The /decrypt option now accepts a command-line parameter to define the encryption strength specified for the migration store encryption.

/targetxp

The /targetxp command-line option is no longer valid in USMT 4.0 because Windows XP is not supported on a destination computer.

MigSys.xml

The MigSys.xml file is no longer valid. This file was used only in Windows XP migrations where Windows XP was the operating system on the destination computer.

/q

The /q option is no longer supported, because both the ScanState and LoadState commands require administrator privileges to run.

Usmtutils.exe

The following table lists all new Usmtutils.exe command-line options in USMT 4.0.

New option in USMT 4.0

Description

/ec

This option returns a list of supported cryptographic algorithms (AlgIDs)
on the current system.

/rd <storeDir>

Removes the directory path specified by the <storeDir> argument on all of the fixed drives. This command is useful for deleting hard-link stores that cannot otherwise be deleted due to a sharing lock. For example: usmtutils /rd D:\MyHardLinkStore